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Feel free to add to or edit information in this discussion tab as necessary. Please take time to become familiar with the General Keying Standards and be sure to read all instructions on the main project page. (Please note that in case of a discrepancy, project level instructions always trump general keying standards.)

Contents

Extra Keying Helps

Here is a list of common abbreviations you may encounter.

Common Keying Errors Found by Reviewers

Questions and Answers

If you have a keying question that is not answered on the project page or in any of the information above, click “EDIT” and ask it here. (If you click on Rich Editor you won't have to worry about formatting your entry.) Then click “WATCH” at the top right on this page and you will be notified via email when an update has been made.

Q: I have a birth records entry which reads GOULD THOMAS, OF THOMAS AND SARAH, MIDDLETOWN, JULY 11, 1728. The next line reads JOHN, OCT. 29, 1736. Am I to assume (and key) that John is also the son of Thomas & Sarah born in Middletown? Or do I only key John's name and birthdate as seen?

A: We have decided that the parents need to be copied down until the next record where parents are given.

Attached is an image that I have marked with numbers showing each new set of parents.

Q: I am keying a page of marriages listed by a church in Westerly. One entry is a record of a marriage performed in Plainfield, NJ. (The woman is from Iowa and the man is from New Hampshire. I suppose they moved to Westerly after getting married in NJ.) So the Event City is technically in NJ but we are only entering RI cities. Do I enter "Westerly", "Plainfield, NJ", or leave Event City blank?

I have a list of names along with dates that follow a "b." At first I thought it meant birth, but it became apparant that there were too many multiple births (quintuplets, etc.). Then I determined that it must mean baptized. There are also "a."s, which I thought meant about, but now I am finding dates that follow "ab.". What do all these mean?

A: I would key Plainfield as it is only asking for city. -- Wiedwoman 15:33, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Q: The instructions say that the Event City can often be found at the top of the page.

So the events in this case took place (with some exceptions as in the previous question) at that church in Westerly, RI.

Then I realized that only half the pages have that header; the other half have the book title:

So the Event City is not provided on those pages. We have been routinely told to not take data from other pages but I wonder whether this might be an exception?

This is complicated because each entry in these pages contains birth places and/or residence locations (though many not in RI, see example in the previous question) of the bride and groom. Here is another example:

Advice on which Event City to choose?

A: On the pages that show Westerly at top of page, you would key Westerly. On the pages that do not show Westerly at the top nor through the page, I would leave the city blank. Also the Veal example does not show a city married in only where they were from. -- Wiedwoman 15:33, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Q. I have a list of names along with dates that follow a "b." At first I thought it meant birth, but it became apparant that there were too many multiple births (quintuplets, etc.). Then I determined that it must mean baptized. There are also "a."s, which I thought meant about, but now I am finding dates that follow "ab.". What do all these mean?

A: I believe the a's could stand for "aged".

Suggestions/Additions

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